Eating Stone Children’s Home and Wisdom Academy simply would not exist without the help of our amazing donors.
As we develop our new website, we are building a more complete list of the seemingly endless examples of generosity over the years. For now, there are some bulleted lists on top with detailed examples below. (If you are one of our generous donors and are not listed, please accept our apologies and send us a short note so we can get you added.)
January 2022 update
In these challenging times we send our thanks to:
- Karen Munjak – for sponsoring Eunice Akinyi as she starts her first year of university, working toward her degree in nursing.
- Sheri and George Braun of Langley – whose most recent donation of 20,000 CAD has enabled us to install two additional solar hot water panels, plus eight solar electric panels and the related equipment to meet all of Eating Stone’s electrical needs, so we no longer need to purchase electricity!
- The S.M. Blair Family Foundation of Ontario, Canada – for their grant that will cover all expenses (tuition, transportation, books, etc.) for several Eating Stone secondary students for one year.
- The Varico Foundation of Calgary, Canada – who has enabled three secondary students to attend their boarding schools for all of 2021.
February 2021 update
- We are grateful to Karen Golfie, Judy Brewster, and their 13 friends who have come together to sponsor Michelle Auma for her university degree. ATB Cares supplemented the donation by 20%, so we now have the funds needed for Michelle’s first year of tuition and living expenses.
- Many thanks also to Rick Castiglione and his brother, who have sponsored Wycliffe Omondi for the first year of his plumbing course.
A history of generosity
- Donna Stimson, from Sydney Australia, has been a long-time supporter of Eating Stone since the 1990s.
- In 2015, a donor gave us the money to purchase the beautiful half-acre of land we’ve since built on and moved to. It’s in a rural area of small farms and has deep, red soil.
- Another generous donor agreed to provide the funds for site preparation.
- An architect friend of Cyprian drew up the plans for the new premises, and because of his commitment to the Eating Stone family, his architectural firm released him from other work to oversee the site preparation.
- It was with very grateful hearts that we thanked Sheri and George Braun of Langley, British Columbia, for their donation of 150,000 CAD in the Spring of 2017. Their incredible generosity allowed Joel Park from Grande Prairie, Alberta, to again approach his Rotary Club to match the Braun funds, which they generously did. The 300,000 CAD enabled us to build the main floor of the children’s home, the administration building (which houses some of the children and is used for classrooms), and the two small houses for Jackie and Agnes who run, well, everything.
- Rotary Club of Canmore, Alberta, provided grants in 2017, 2018 and 2019 for for site improvements, including perimeter wall finishing, interior painting, tiling and furnishings.
- Every year since 2018, the S.M. Blair Family Foundation of Ontario, Canada has provided grants that have enabled three of our Wisdom Academy Primary School graduates to further their essential education by attending secondary school for another year (these schools are off-site so require boarding). We are so grateful for their continuing support.
- In 2018, Eating Stone was the recipient of 50% of the proceeds from the 25th year celebration of Civilized Adventures in Calgary.
- In September 2019, UK friends Nick and Tracey Aldworth sent funds for the purchase of three laptops.
- In 2019, a donor provided funds to purchase some adjacent land, which turned out not to be available, so we used the funds to purchase 1.75 acres of fertile farmland in Awendo, Migori County, Kenya. We’ve been working with One Acre Fund and three Eating Stone agricultural students to manage the farm – see photo of the first maize crop. The next planting season is at the beginning of February.
- Rotary Club of Grande Prairie, Alberta and Rotary Club of Courtenay, British Columbia provided funds early in the pandemic to purchase bulk food supplies, which were sorely needed as the local markets were closed.
- For Christmas 2020, Tracey Farleigh organised UK donors to buy meat for a Christmas meal and 100 new blankets, and Donna Stimson organised Australian donors to buy new clothes for everyone (see the Christmas 2020 page).
Spring 2017
Examples of why these donations are so important
Rotary Club of Grande Prairie
A borehole –> free, fresh water
January 2019
With continuing thanks to Rotary Club of Grande Prairie for funding this essential project, a borehole was successfully drilled to a depth of 220 meters, and now supplies water to Eating Stone and Wisdom Academy. The well water is of excellent quality and quantity, and in time we hope to be able to sell water to a few families in the area.
The borehole was drilled by one of our neighbours; he and his wife also provide fresh vegetables from their irrigated plot. Sometimes she charges a little, sometimes she does not charge.
All the Eating Stone family are grateful to Rotary Club of Grande Prairie for funding this project. Without their support we would still be buying water.
Kind words from a new donor and volunteer…
…after visiting Eating Stone in December 2020, written to Sandi.
“The place looks amazing by the way. Miles ahead of any children’s home I have dealt with before.”
Individual donors in Alberta & Arizona
Rotary Club at Stampede Park, Calgary
Solar panels –> hot water
2018 & 2019
With great thanks to two individual donors, one from Alberta and one from Arizona, four solar panels for heating water were installed early in August 2018. No longer must the children bathe in freezing cold water.
With thanks to the Rotary Club at Stampede Park, Calgary, we received funding for the last three solar panels, which were installed in November 2019. Now, hot water is available in the kitchen, and there will be enough hot water for everyone.
Kind words from a donor…
…after visiting Eating Stone in 2017, written to Sandi.
“What you and Cyprian are doing to teach the kids, experientially, affiliation, lived and processed, is a life-long gift.
“By all sharing and caring, observed life and death, processing both life and death, – it is what we do as families, as human beings.
“You do so much more to prepare them for life. And death.
“I am ever and always, appreciative of you both.”